Prayer for the Election of a New Pope

† Pray this prayer once daily until a new Pope is elected! †

Mary, powerful Virgin, you are the mighty and glorious protector of the Church. Your son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, is the source of eternal life and truth.  We come to you now, Mother Mary, asking for your intercessory prayers that a Pope of God's choosing, through the Holy Spirit, is elected.

Holy Spirit enlighten the hearts of our shepherds, the Cardinals, during the conclave of electing a new Pope for the Catholic Church. Give them a spirit of courage, right judgment, knowledge, prudence and wisdom. May the Conclave of Cardinals, with fidelity to the Holy Spirit, choose the new Pope who, as successor to the apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, will continue to build Your Church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.

Lord, in Your mercy, grant Your Church a shepherd who will walk in Your ways.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Ember Wednesday

Remember, this Wednesday the 20th is the first Ember Wednesday of the Church year!  See my post here for all the details on the ancient feasts of "Ember Days".

You won't want to miss this bonus opportunity during Lent to join the universal Church in prayer and fasting.  Many hands make light work, so let's carry each other and the cross of Christ -- together!
 

Lent - It's Not Just About the Chocolate

With special thanks to Father Shane Johnson, a Catholic priest with the Legionaries of Christ and youth chaplain at St. Peter's Parish in Yonkers, NY at fathershane.com.

Lenten Resources

Here are some wonderful resources for Lent, as you seek to accompany Jesus on His way to the cross through your prayers and sacrifices:

Lenten Sacrifice Cross:
http://www.casciabooks.com/lent.html
Simply click on the teal words, "Lenten Cross" and you can download a nice copy to print out for each of the kids, to help them stay focused on their sacrifice each day!

Mercy Cross:
http://www.catholicsistas.com/2013/02/12/making-sacrifices-real/
Follow these easy directions for practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, finishing at Easter with a visual representation of all your sacrificial gifts for Jesus!

Lenten Pinboard:
http://pinterest.com/catholicsistas/lent/
Here is the Catholic Sistas pinboard for Lent on Pinterest.  It's filled with wonderful links and ideas!

Catholic Icing:
http://catholicicing.com/?s=lent
As usual, Lacy has lots of hands-on ideas for small children to really engage in Lent, from cheap and simple meatless meals to a Lenten Path to color!

Tomb Garden:
http://www.colleenhammond.com/family-life/craft-easter-garden/
If you've got a green thumb, here's a nice indoor project to do in anticipation of finding the empty tomb on Easter morning!

Lenten Prayer Chain:
http://www.catholicinspired.com/2013/02/lenten-prayer-chain-countdown-plus-more.html
Jennifer has included some easy printables to make a Lenten Prayer Chain, as well as LOTS more activities for Lent and Easter (the latter for those who like to plan ahead!), including a clothes pin crucifix, how to braid palm branches, and a list of Link Ups with at least 20 more easy, fun, practical ideas!

Good Friday Meal:

http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/2011/04/lenten-dinner-on-good-friday.html
Jessica sets a wonderful table for Good Friday, full of simple foods with symbolic meanings to help draw your family closer to the Stations of the Cross!

Lenten Pinboard:
https://pinterest.com/avemommas/lent/
I just started a pinboard for Lent, as well.  Please let me know of any helpful ideas for Lent that we can pin and share with everyone!

Handy Dandy List of Lenten Sacrifices!

Wow!  Thanks to the Catholic Sistas, here's a great blog post and fantastic list of things to give up and do positively for Lent!  Even though Lent's already begun, it's never too late to enhance your prayer life and draw ever closer to Jesus:

http://www.catholicsistas.com/2013/02/12/your-handy-dandy-list-to-lenten-sacrifices/

Remember who made you?  God made you.

Why did God make you?  God made you to know, love, and serve Him in this life and to be happy with him forever in heaven.  What else could possibly make Jesus happier than your doing (or refraining from doing) EVERYthing you do....for HIM!?

May your Lent be a time of spiritual peace and growth as you accompany Jesus and Mary on Christ's journey to the Cross.  Be with Him.  Console Him.  Spend time with Him.  Orient your every thought, word, and action throughout the day toward Him.

Live Him.  Vive Jesu!

Stations of the Cross

Throughout the year, but especially during Lent, we like to try to pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.  Originating from pilgrimages following the actual footsteps of Christ to Calvary in the Holy Land, the Stations are designed for those of us who cannot make an actual pilgrimage, but nevertheless would like to accompany and console Our Lord on His way to the cross.

For our children, we've found an absolutely WONDERFUL booklet to help guide us all in praying the Stations of the Cross as a family!


http://www.sjtb.org/releduresprint.html

Courtesy of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Front Royal, VA, the booklet is simple enough for even the youngest child to follow along, yet still follows a traditional format.  They can color the Stations, take turns leading, or simply follow along, all in less than 10-15 minutes.

We also just found this WONDERFUL set of coloring pages for the Stations of the Cross, in several different sizes and formats, as well as a Stations of the Cross Box, which contains physical items representative of each Station:

http://familyfeastandferia.wordpress.com/living-the-liturgical-year-at-home/prayers-devotions-printables-coloringpages/stations-of-the-cross-for-children/

We hope this little booklet and these resources enhance your family's prayer life with this important and moving devotion as much as it has ours!

On Filling the Void During Lent

A friend who is a priest generously offered the following food for thought for Lent:

In his famous, "Rule of Monks," St. Benedict proscribes for his monks the acts of prayer, spiritual reading, and abstinence for their Lenten observance:

"In these days, therefore, let us add something beyond the wonted measure of our service, such as private prayers and abstinence from food and drink."

It is worth considering what we will "give up" for Lent and in what  other ways we will spiritually observe this holy season.  Since Benedict's Rule has remained the standard for about 1,500 years, maybe his wisdom should be our guide.  Forms of fasting and bodily sacrifice are among the most ancient forms of penance.  Also, in addition to making a sacrifice to God for past sins and negligence, we learn greater self-control so that we may do better in the future.

Spiritually, we are called to imitate Jesus's forty days in the desert, where He was alone in constant prayer to the Father.  Some extra daily time with God in prayer should certainly be a part of our Lenten observance, since one of the points of sacrificing something from our lives is to have grace fill the void.

Finally, you may want to consider some spiritual classic to use for meditations during Lent.  Ofttimes, as with New Year's resolutions, Lenten sacrifices don't last, because we have nothing to fill the void for the thing we have tried to give up.  A good spiritual book can be like a faithful companion to which you can turn when you are tempted to squander your time.

In the end, the Rule of St. Benedict guided his monks to enter into Lent with their bodies, souls, and minds.  If it has worked for fifteen centuries, there might be something to it!

Father Joseph

40th Annual March for Life

The 40th Annual March For Life will be held in Washington, D.C. next Friday, January 25, 2013.  Please visit the following websites for details on how YOU can participate to save a LIFE:

The National March for Life:

http://www.marchforlife.org/

Youth Rally and Mass for Life:

http://site.adw.org/youth-rally-and-mass-for-life

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/youthrallyandmassforlife

USCCB's Novena for Life

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced nine days of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage, from January 19th - 27th, in reparation for 40 years of abortion through Roe v. Wade.  The intention for this novena of prayer is, "for healing and conversion, for elected officials who support abortion and for all people whose lives have been forever changed by an abortion."  The call to prayer includes nine days of reflections provided by the USCCB.  You can even have them texted to you by texting, "9days" to 99000.

Get all the details here at the USCCB's official website!

Epiphany

There is something exceedingly special to me about the three kings, or Three Wise Men, the Magi, those intrepid travelers who journeyed into the unknown to meet and worship the infant Jesus.

How often in our own lives are we called upon to venture out into the unknown and trust a presence in the heavens to guide us on our way?  How often are we rewarded at the end of our task by a personal meeting with Jesus, the King of Kings?

I think the famous journey of the wise men is a microcosm of the purpose of any of our lives.  Each of us is called upon to embark on our life's journey with no road map, no trip tick, and no cross country flight times.  If we are fortunate, we either have been raised to or discover on our own the useful tool of literally and spiritually looking up to the heavens for guidance.  The Wise Men knew that.

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy

Oh.  Except for that one night.

"Keep your eye on the prize," they say.  But, it seems to me that the Wise Men, initially, didn't.  Remember when they used their own earthly intellect and stopped (ultimately unwisely) at the palace of King Herod to ask directions, assuming that the newborn king whom the star's appearance signified surely must reside there?  They noted that they "saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage," (Matthew 2:2).

Whoa.  Big mistake there, fellas.

I don't think the star obviously was atop the palace in the night sky that evening, or the Wise Men would have referenced that instead, as opposed to having last seen the star at its rising.  And when they realized their mistake and that it was time to go, well lo and behold, guess what appeared in the night sky outside!?

"After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.  They were overjoyed at seeing the star."  (Matthew 2:9-10)

Ta-da!

So, let that be a lesson unto each of us.  When journeying to Destinations Unknown In Life, keep your eye on the star, the heavens, your guide, the Infant Christ, the Creator of it all, Him, the One.

"....the Savior...who is Messiah and Lord!" (Luke 2:11)

And, in case you're interested, here is some more edifying reading on the Feast of the Epiphany!

First, an entire site dedicated to the Magi:

The Original Christmas Gift

Next, the Magi from the perspective of art history, by Carolyn McDowall over at The Culture Concept Circle:
3 Wise Men Or 3 Kings - Celebrities Having An Epiphany

And then, several brief thoughts on Epiphany, courtesy of Dr. Taylor Marshall over at "Canterbury Tales":


The Adoration of the Magi Proves the Divinity of Christ

Ephiphany Debate: St. Augustine vs. the Donatists

Does the Word Epiphany Appear in the Bible?

The Three Magi Were Likely Arabs, and Why Is One of the Magi Dark-Skinned?

The Mummies of the Three Wise Men

Epiphany House Blessing

Many churches distribute blessed chalk with which to bless your home at Epiphany, or you can ask your parish priest to bless your own chalk.  Families inscribe the following above or on their door inside the house:

20+C+M+B+13

The translation is the present year, around the initial of each of the three kings (Caspar, Melchoir, Balthazar).  The "CMB" also represents the Latin, "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" or "Christ Bless This Home."  Here is a blessing you can use for both your chalk and your house on Ephiphany:

Blessing of Chalk
Let us pray. O Lord God, bless this creature chalk to make it helpful to man. Grant that we who use it with faith and inscribe with it upon the entrance of our homes may enjoy physical health and spiritual protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

House Blessing
Lord God of Heaven and Earth, who hast revealed thine only-begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star: Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill them with the light of Christ, that their love for others may truly reflect thy love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In our house, we also like to cut out the front of the first Christmas card we receive, which bears a likeness of the three kings.  We tape the card to the upper left corner of our front door inside.  Thus placed, each time we open the door, it reminds us to open the door and welcome whomever is out there as we would welcome the three kings.

If you'd like a good read on this with your children, try Tomie DePaola's The Legend of Old Befana.  Enjoy!

St. Andrew Christmas Novena....Ooops.

Hey, remember the St. Andrew Christmas Novena?

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.  In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires, through the merits of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.  Amen.

Well?  Did you make it?  Were you able to pray the novena prayer 15 times per day, as prescribed!?

....yeah, me neither.

I must say, it really did help to break up the novena into praying it five times at three separate meals.  The kids were super about reminding me.  "Mom!" they'd gasp.  "The prayer!"  However, the further we ventured into the busy preparations of Advent, the more often I found myself forgetting about the novena until well after midnight and into the next day, thus having missed the present day's 15 times requirement.  Again.

I was getting quite discouraged about this, until a little urging from my guardian angel reproved me for my disappointment in not fulfilling the novena.

"Really?" it said.  "Is that the reason you were praying this novena?  So that you could recite a particular incantation and win a prize?  Is that what you think!?"

Well, no!  Of course not!

And there, my dear friends, was my humble reminder that there is a big difference between superstition and prayerful petition.  To wit, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

III. "You Shall HaveNo Other Gods Before Me"

2110 The first commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has revealed himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion. Superstition in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion is the vice contrary by defect to the virtue of religion.

Superstition

2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.

Thus, praying a novena, or any other prescribed set of prayers, is in no way a guarantee of the requested results.  Conversely, if a novena or prayer is not fulfilled in precisely the correct manner, that, too, is no guarantee that the Lord will not grant your desire.

Quite simply, the Lord knows your heart.  And if the desire of your heart is within His will, then He will fulfill it....no matter what lil' ole YOU do.

So, after reading the Catechism, I not only renewed my efforts to remain faithful to praying the St. Andrew Christmas Novena, I have continued to recite it even after the great feast of Christmas, during the following Twelve Days of Christmas.

Did I then subsequently fulfill it every day?  Um, still no.

But, thank God for the Magisterium of the Catholic Church!  I now pray this prayer with so much more JOY and true LOVE in my heart for the Infant Christ Child, ever since I refined, researched, redefined, and renewed my focus on what it means to truly and prayerfully participate in the St. Andrew Christmas Novena.

Besides, God willing, there's always next year!

Is It REALLY Happy Birthday to Jesus Today?

Is today really the correct day to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ?  If you're like me, you've heard so many (ever popular) conflicting secular rationales for why it's probably not:

- It would have been too cold outside in December for the shepherds to have been abiding in the fields.

- It's really just the Catholic Church usurping and replacing the pagan feast of Saturnalia.

- The Church just wanted to combat the pagan superstitions associated with the Winter Solstice.

- Etc., etc., etc.

Well, here's a (bit lengthy, but thorough and concise) explanation as to exactly why the Church set the feast day for the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ squarely on December 25th:

http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2012/12/yes-christ-was-really-born-on-december.html

So celebrate with confidence and enjoy!

Finding Peace with the Prince of Peace

 A friend recently posted a request for prayers, as her homeschool responsibilities and Christmas preparations had been cast aside by her son's unexpected admission to the hospital.  As a faithful Catholic, she immediately rejoiced in having time for her and her son to be together in Advent prayer and reading Jotham's Journey.  But, understandably, she nevertheless was a little disappointed that certain school and holiday tasks at home just would have to be left undone this year.

As a compulsive list-maker and cookie-baker myself, I completely understood her frustration with not being able to "accomplish" or "do" the things she wanted to achieve, in order to prepare her family for Christmas.

But, let's also be practical here:

Schoolwork always will be there, whether you do it today or tomorrow or ten months from now.  Your child's good health might not be.  See to him, see to your souls, and see to the internal preparations that God wants you to make this Advent.  Remember, the Bible doesn't say that Mary baked the shepherds some cookies and sent out The First Christmas Cards (that would be Jesus's Shutterfly, photocard, birth announcement).

But it DOES say that she treasured all these things in her heart.

We all should do the same.

I've often found that when God allows all my plans to go completely awry, it's because I was facing in the wrong direction.  Turn your face toward Him, trust in His guidance and Will, and know the inner peace of the Christ Child, the Prince of Peace!

10 Ten Things About Advent

Thank you to Dr. Taylor Marshall for some Advent inspiration!

http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2012/12/10-things-you-should-know-about-advent.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+taylormarshall+%28Canterbury+Tales+by+Taylor+Marshall%29

May your Advent be blessed with joyous preparations for the Christ Child!

Enjoy!

Christmas Novena

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

While a novena is normally a nine-day [or nine hour] prayer, the term sometimes is used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30th) until Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew, but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once, or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal).

Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your children on the Advent season.

(source: by Scott P. Richert at Catholicism.about.com)